Kid Friendly Pasta Salad
As a busy momma, I know how important it is to have barrels of quick and easy recipe on hand that your entire family will love. Not only that, at least half of them should be pasta because, well, kids love pasta! This baby led weaning lunch will not only fit perfectly in precious, chunky fingers, but your whole house will thank you! The simple pumpkin-seed and parmesan sauce is so versatile and tasty that you can mix this dish with any veggies your baby prefers, and it makes an easy school lunch option for days you’d like to see those pails come home empty!
This recipe is meant to feed two adults and two children—or six school lunches—and is easy enough to double (or triple) for a larger family. There’s no need to follow the recipe to a tee, either. I used tomatoes, bell peppers, and green onions, but it is delicious with broccoli, carrots, green beans, peas, or any combination of ingredients you know your little one will eat up.
The pasta base itself is so simple you probably won’t even have to double check this recipe. Just boil the pasta shells and rinse as you drain until it cools completely, then toss in the veggies. I recommend removing the pasta al dente, especially if you plan to store this for easy school lunch preparation. If the pasta cooks too long, it won’t hold up as well in the refrigerator.
This recipe’s robust flavor comes from the dressing, which is not only simple, it’s healthy! The pan-toasted pumpkin seeds are rich in protein, iron, zinc, magnesium, and so many other nutrients I can’t possibly list them all. Chopped fresh basil amps this wholesome lunch up another notch with a host of flavonoids and antioxidants; all of this blended with the olive oil and Mozzarella creates a beautiful dressing to please your weaning baby’s (and your) taste buds like nothing else!
I prefer a pestle to grind and mix the dressing (they’re fun), but if you don’t have one, a food processor works just fine. Toast the seeds then use the pulse button and blades to chop until they’re coarsely ground. After you add the fresh basil and cheese to the bowl, drizzle the extra virgin olive oil through the chute, pulsing to combine the ingredients.
Toss it all together, and that’s that! You have a delicious, baby led weaning lunch that will have your entire family begging for more. What’s more, it takes little time to prepare, so whipping it up for easy school lunches will be a huge time saver.
Yummy pasta recipes to try
Taste and Rate (pretty please)
We are making a huge effort to better ourselves here at Baby Led Feeding, so if you try this recipe, let us know how it goes! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #babyledfeeding on Instagram or Facebook.
Aileen xoxox
Kid Friendly Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 300 g pasta shells 3 cups
- 2 spring onions finely chopped
- 2 red bell peppers diced
- 12 cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1 pack Dunnes Stores buffalo mozzarella
- Dressing
- 4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 10 basil leaves
- 60 g grated parmesan cheese 1/4 cup
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil then add the pasta. Bring back to the boil, then cover the pot with a lid and simmer until the pasta is cooked. Drain and run under cold water to fully cool.
- Add the pasta to a large bowl along with the spring onions, peppers, tomatoes and mozzarella, then leave aside while you make the dressing.
- Add the pumpkin seeds to a dry frying pan and place over a high heat, tossing until they start to pop.
- Pour into a pestle and mortar and grind into a smooth powder, pour in the olive oil basil leave and cheese then grind into a sauce, then pour into the pasta and toss until fully coated.
- Serve cold.
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Recipe Notes & Tips
Writen by Aileen Cox Blundell - number one bestselling author, award winning blogger and Mum of 3 kiddies who all eat their veggies.
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